1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a trash container locking apparatus and method for releasably locking a trash bin lid in a closed position while allowing the lock to release under gravity to allow the lid to open automatically when the container is inverted by a trash truck during a dumping operation.
2. Related Art
Owners of large size or commercial trash bins as used for businesses, stores, apartments, and the like often experience difficulty in preventing unauthorized use of the bins. Waste disposal costs are increased by unauthorized individuals dumping trash into the bins. In view of this, various locking systems have been proposed in the past for preventing dumping of trash in such bins by unauthorized individuals. However, such locking systems often make it difficult for authorized users to gain access to the bin, and also cause difficulty to refuse collectors.
Some trash bins have automatic locks which release when the bin is inverted to dump trash. U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,382 of Dawdy et al. describes a locking mechanism for a refuse container which has a locking bar pivotally attached to the container and movable between a locked position preventing opening of the container lid and an open position in which it is rotated out of the way of the lid. When a locking fixture on the mechanism is engaged, the locking bar cannot be manually pivoted, but it can be pivoted by the force of a collection truck boom. The lock may be disengaged by a key allowing manual pivoting of the locking bar into the open position.
Other trash bin locking systems are known which involve a bar pivotally mounted on the container and rotatable between a position extending over the lid to hold it closed, and a position rotated down against the front wall of the container, leaving the lid free to open. The bar is normally locked by a padlock or the like in the closed position. Some prior art trash container locking systems which have an automatic gravity release are quite complex, with many interengaging lock parts including springs, sliding balls, levers, triggers, and the like, and are therefore subject to potential malfunction.
In our prior U.S. Pat. No. 6,733,053, a trash container locking apparatus is described in which a locking arm is configured to extend across the width of a trash container adjacent the upper, front end of the container, and has bent end portions pivotally mounted on opposite sides of the container. This allows the arm to be pivoted between a first position extending over the closed lid of the container to hold it closed, and a second position extending across the front of the container so that the lid can be freely opened. The arm is lockable in both the first and second position by means of spaced locking plates on one side wall of the container which are positioned for engagement with locking flanges on the bent end portion of the locking arm when the arm is in the first and second position, respectively.